This invention relates to light mounting systems and, more particularly, to a light mounting apparatus for supporting decorative lights upon the outside of a home or building.
Strings of small or miniature decorative lights are frequently positioned along roof edges or around window and door frames. These light strings typically include a length of electrical wire, a plurality of bulb sockets spaced apart and connected to the wires, and a plurality of weatherproof lights inserted into the bulb sockets. Various devices have been proposed in the art for mounting decorative lights to a house or other building. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, many light mounting systems include molded fasteners that are permanently attached to a house structure with nails or screws that leave unsightly damage if removed.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a light mounting apparatus which may be removably mounted to a gutter or other trim structure for supporting a string of decorative lights. Further, it is desirable to have a light mounting apparatus which includes a clamp that is easy to operate for receiving the electrical wires of a string of ornamental lights. Finally, it is desirable to have a light mounting apparatus which may remain unobtrusively mounted year round.
A decorative light mounting system according to the present invention for supporting a string of lights on a house or other structure includes a plurality of retaining members with each retaining member having a clamp member. In one embodiment, each retaining member includes a configuration substantially similar to a configuration of the upper lip of conventional rollform S-shaped guttering. Each retaining member is dimensioned to be releasably coupled to the upper lip of the gutter in a snap-fit relationship. Each retaining member includes a front surface to which a clamp member is attached. Each clamp member includes a pair of legs that are biased toward one another. One of the clamp legs includes a tab which, when depressed by a user, urges the clamp legs apart so that the wires of a light string may be inserted therebetween.
Another embodiment of the mounting apparatus includes the clamp member described above attached to a flat mounting plate having a generally rectangular configuration and defining at least one aperture such that the mounting plate may be attached to a flat surface with nails or screws. This embodiment combines the unique clamp construction with a more conventional mounting plate. Yet another embodiment of the mounting apparatus includes a mounting bracket to which the clamp described above is attached. The mounting bracket includes an offset configuration having a flange extending along an upper edge of a back plate thereof such that the mounting bracket may be releasably coupled to the upper edge of a lower portion of a piece of siding without the use of any fasteners.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a mounting apparatus for supporting decorative lights on a house or building.
Another object of this invention is to provide a mounting apparatus, as aforesaid, having retaining members which selectively may be permanently or temporarily attached to a gutter or eaves trough.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a mounting apparatus, as aforesaid, which may be manufactured in elongate strips from which individual retaining or mounting members may be selectively removed.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a mounting apparatus, as aforesaid, in which a clamp for receiving the wires of a decorative light string is attached to each retaining or mounting member.
A further object of this invention is to provide a mounting apparatus, as aforesaid, in which each clamp includes a pair of legs biased toward one another with a tab extending from one leg which urges the legs apart when depressed.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.